51 pages • 1 hour read
Elizabeth is Missing
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Elizabeth Is Missing by British author Emma Healey was published in 2014 and tells the story of Maud Horsham, an old woman suffering from dementia. Maud’s older sister, Sukey, disappeared in the 1940s. Seventy years later, this tragic event continues to haunt Maud, who now thinks her best friend Elizabeth is missing. Maud is desperate to figure out what happened to Sukey and Elizabeth before she loses her ability to piece together the clues.
Maud’s daughter, Helen, and a paid caregiver, Carla, care for Maud. They warn Maud not to leave the house, to stop buying tinned peaches, and not to turn on the stove. Maud either ignores or forgets each of these rules.
Determined to find out what’s happened to her friend Elizabeth, Maud visits the police station multiple times, places a missing persons ad in the local paper, and repeatedly visits Elizabeth’s house looking for clues. Maud’s inability to retain information makes it difficult for her to piece together the information she learns. Maud keeps scraps of paper in her pockets to track the clues; her jumbled and incomplete notes mirror her mental state.
Although Maud’s understanding of the present is fuzzy, her memories of the past are clear, and, at times, the Unlock all 51 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
